Appendix A: Glossary
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KANE COUNTY LONG RANGE TRANSIT PLAN APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY A-1 Accessibility The extent to which facilities, including transit vehicles, are barrier-free and can be used by people who have disabilities, including wheelchair users. Accessible Vehicle Public transportation revenue vehicles which do not restrict access, are usable, and provide allocated space and/or priority seating for individuals who use wheelchairs. Administrative assistance Funding that supports the administrative costs related to a program activity, such as office expenses, insurance, legal expenses, bookkeeping, and administrative staff expenses. ADA Americans with Disabilities Act: Passed by the Congress in 1990, this act mandates equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in the areas of employment, transportation, communications and public accommodations. Under this Act, most transportation providers are obliged to purchase lift-equipped vehicles for their fixed-route services and must assure system-wide accessibility of their demand-responsive services to persons with disabilities. Public transit providers also must supplement their fixed-route services with paratransit services for those persons unable to use fixed-route service because of their disability. ADA Eligible ADA Eligible refers to eligibility for complementary fixed route paratransit. Individuals who qualify must be unable to used fixed route due to a disability. AoA Administration on Aging. The agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the implementation of the Older Americans Act, including senior nutrition programs, senior centers and supportive services for elders. Ad-hoc Trips The total number of trip requests received by an organization that go beyond the organization’s normal transportation program design and fulfilled by a different agency, company, or organization (i.e., by a private taxi service). Advanced Public Collection of technologies to increase efficiency of public transportation Transportation Systems systems and offer users greater access to information on system operation. This is a subset of Intelligent Transportation Systems. Advanced Traveler Technologies that provide travelers and transportation professionals Information Systems with the information they need to make decisions, from daily individual travel decisions to larger-scale decisions that affect the entire system, such as those concerning incident management. Alight To get off or out of a transportation vehicle. Alternative Fuel A non-petroleum fuel with lower pollution than traditional diesel; includes electricity, alcohol fuels, mineral fuels, biofuels, methanol, propane, hydrogen, compressed and liquefied natural gas. Annual Average Daily Traffic Daily traffic that is averaged over a calendar or fiscal year. (AADT) A-2 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY Articulated Bus An extra-long, high-capacity bus that has the rear body section or sections flexibly but permanently connected to the forward section. The arrangement allows the vehicle to bend in curves and yet have no interior barrier to movement between the two parts. The puller type features a powered center axle while the pusher type features a powered rear axle. Articulated buses with powered center and rear axles exist but are not common. Typically, an articulated bus is 54-60 ft (16-18 m) long with a passenger seating capacity of 60 to 80 and a total capacity of 100 to 140. Automatic Passenger An automated system that counts the number of passengers boarding Counter and alighting a transit vehicle. The information may be used for later data analysis, or for real-time activities, such as providing signal priority only to buses that are at least half full. Automatic Vehicle Location A system that determines the location of vehicles carrying special System electronic equipment that communicates a signal back to a central control facility. AVLs are used for detecting irregularity in service and are often combined with a computer-aided dispatch system. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) The average number of vehicles that pass a specified point during a 24- hour period. Average Fare The arithmetic average of all fares paid by all revenue passengers, including those who received special or reduced fares. It is usually derived by or generally equivalent to dividing total fare revenue by total origin-to-destination trips, although it may be based on unlinked trips. Average Trip Length The average distance ridden for an unlinked passenger trip by time period (weekday, Saturday, Sunday) computed as passenger miles divided by unlinked passenger trips. Base Fare The price charged to one adult for one transit ride; excludes transfer charges, zone charges, express service charges, peak period surcharges, and reduced fares Base Period In transit, the time of day during which vehicle requirements and schedules are not influenced by peak-period passenger volume demands (e.g., between morning and afternoon peak periods). At this time, transit riding is fairly constant and usually moderate in volume when compared with peak-period travel. Also known as off peak. Bicycle-Friendly Characterized by features and elements that makes bicycling safe and convenient. A bicycle-friendly environment at a transit stop might include bicycle parking that is well-lit, sheltered, secure, and easily accessed. Bicycle Locker A lockable, enclosed container used for storing a bicycle. Typically provided at major transit stops and stations and rented on a monthly basis. Bicycle Rack A fixed post or framework to which bicycles may be secured and locked, typically provided on a first-come, first-served basis. It is also a device mounted to a transit vehicle that allows bicycles to be transported outside the passenger compartment. Boarding Rides Boarding rides are counted each time a person enters a vehicle. Boardings and rides all refer to boarding rides. Boarding Rides per Vehicle The number of boardings divided by the vehicle hours of service. Hour Describes a route’s productivity. KANE COUNTY 2040 LONG RANGE TRANSIT PLAN A-3 Brokerage A method of providing transportation where riders are matched with appropriate transportation providers through a central trip-request and administrative facility. The transportation broker may centralize vehicle dispatch, record keeping, vehicle maintenance and other functions under contractual arrangements with agencies, municipalities and other organizations. Actual trips are provided by a number of different vendors. Bus Bay A specially designed or designated location at a transit stop, station, terminal, or transfer center at which a bus stops to allow passengers to board and alight Bus Bulb An extension of the sidewalk into the roadway for passenger loading without the bus pulling into the curb gives priority to buses and eases reentry into traffic, often landscaped and fitted with bus shelter and other passenger amenities. Also known as a bulb out or curb extension. Bus Lane Also known as a bus priority lane or transit only lane. A highway or street lane reserved primarily for buses, either all day or during specified periods. It may be used by other traffic under certain circumstances, such as making a right or left turn, or by taxis, motorcycles, or carpools that meet specific requirements described in the traffic laws of the specific jurisdiction. Bus Priority System An intelligent transportation system feature consisting of traffic controls in which buses are given special treatment over general vehicular traffic (e.g., bus priority lanes, preemption of traffic signals, or adjustment of green times for buses.) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) An inexact term describing a bus operation providing service similar to rail transit, at a potentially lower cost depending on the level of investment in individual infrastructure elements. BRT systems are characterized by several of the following components: exclusive transitways or busways, enhanced stations, easily identified vehicles, high-frequency all-day service, simple route structures, simplified fare collection, and ITS technologies. Integrating these components is intended to improve bus speed, reliability, and identity. Bus Shelter A building or other structure constructed at a transit stop. A transit shelter provides protection from the weather and may provide seating or schedule information or both for the convenience of waiting passengers. Bus Stop An area where passengers wait for, board, alight, and transfer between transit units (vehicles or trains). It is usually indicated by distinctive signs and by curb or pavement markings and may provide service information, shelter, seating, or any combination of these. Stops are often designated by the mode offering service, for example, bus stop, car stop. Busway A special roadway designed for exclusive use by buses. It may be constructed at, above, or below grade and may be located in separate rights-of-way or within highway corridors. Variations include grade- separated, at-grade, and median busways. Sometimes called a transitway or bus rapid transit. Capital Cost Nonrecurring or infrequently recurring costs of long-term assets, such as land, guideways, stations, buildings, and vehicles. These costs often include related expenses: for example, depreciation and property taxes. Casual Carpool an informal carpool where commuters gather at a location to be picked up at random by motorists who do not have sufficient passengers to use an HOV facility or to share the cost of parking and/or tolls. A-4 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY Charter Service